Life is a series of negotiations because we go through a series of natural and spontaneous changes of which success is not always an outcome.  An average adult makes about 35,000 conscious decisions each day. Each decision, of course, carries certain consequences with it that are both good and bad. We encounter several negotiation situations each day, each moment/each hour. Yet, most people misunderstand a negotiator as someone who can manipulate people into getting what he wants. 

What we don’t realize is that almost every conversation we have, each day, is some kind of negotiation. We all use our strength to tackle all kinds of situations, we go through ‘highs and lows.’ We go through moments when we feel a sense of loss, confusion and self-doubt. In times like these it is only our determination that comes to our rescue and helps us to stand tall and save our self-worth.

Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more parties to resolve points of difference, gain an advantage for an individual or group of people for positive outcomes to satisfy various interests. The parties aspire to agree on matters. Whenever there is a want, desire or a need present on either side, we are in a negotiation. And we every day have wants, desires and  needs. The thing that trip up people is they knowingly or unknowingly get into action of negotiation as bargaining. For example, buying vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, bread, what to cook for meal, getting the house cleaned from maids, getting the garden watered, which mattresses to use on bed, when to change curtains of windows, whether to attend a function or not, planning a holiday, planning a function ….so many negotiations we conclude before making decisions.   

There are bigger negotiations we go for such as: buying a car, negotiating a salary, buying a home, renegotiating rent, choosing a life partner, investment decisions, health related decisions etc. As we mature in life, we take emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level, before negotiating.  Emotional intelligence is critical for mastering negotiation skill. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to manage both your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you.

We learn to negotiate better when we go with an open mind, we think and plan, when we articulate our thoughts, we succeed. Perseverance is most important requirement while negotiating. When we detach ourselves from the result negotiation works out better. Also, any negotiation is not one sided, we should think about other side too. A very important point is at times we get confused with want exactly we want. knowledge of the subject matter being negotiated, ability to think clearly and rapidly under pressure and uncertainty also matters. Most important skill in negotiation is listening skill.

In business negotiations most negotiations are sharp but need to be dealt with calm and composed mind, carrying the figures in head, quantifying every trade-off is fundamental to the deal. Or that’s what the science of game theory says. In real life however, people are not always rational under pressure, when time is short, and the stakes are high. In business, the biggest challenge in a negotiation is to stop emotions from overtaking logic.

Warren Buffett is one of the world’s most successful investors and has built an impressive, estimated wealth of $85.3 billion. He has also earned a strong reputation as one of the world’s most skilled negotiators. Buffet is known for doing his research and preparing for negotiations with meticulous detail. His ability to identify value, negotiate favourable terms, and build strong relationships has been key to his incredible success in the business world. He keeps his ego out of the door. He is ruthlessly unemotional while negotiating.

Indira Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo is known for her flexibility during negotiations. She always was open to alternative solutions and willing to adjust her stance based on new information or changing circumstances. This adaptability allowed her to navigate complex deals successfully and overcome unexpected challenges.

Nooyi believed in thorough preparation before entering any negotiation. Whether it was a merger deal or a supplier contract, she ensured that she and her team were well-informed about the industry landscape, the counterpart’s interests, and potential areas of compromise. She always built strong relationships with stakeholders.  She looked at alternative solutions willingness to adjust her decisions based on new information or changing circumstances. Also, her communication skills made her a popular leader.

When we look at negotiation, it’s basically discovering what the other side wants, we must try to uncover their reasoning and motives. Nelson Mandela is remembered for being one of the most talented negotiators in history. He served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and used his strong negotiation skills to fight apartheid and secure a more peaceful society for millions of South African people. Mandela is well known for his resilience, patience, and strategic thinking. It took him decades to achieve his goals, and his focus on the greater good played a crucial role in ensuring a peaceful transition to democracy.

When we don’t recognize a negotiation as a negotiation, it’s much harder to be successful in it. In both personal and professional realms, the ability to negotiate effectively is an art and science. Science as a metaphor for negotiation emphasizes the strategic, analytical, and data-driven aspects of negotiation. It highlights the importance of preparation, research, and understanding the underlying dynamics of negotiation that can make the difference between success and failed opportunities.

When you remember your school and college days, what do you recall the most? I am sure you must be remembering some of those great teachers for their delightful classes, some for their sense of humor, and some for their craft, for their methodology of teaching and for their compassion and many more virtues of theirs.

Can we forget names of our teachers, can we forget their personalities? No, we cannot for a simple fact that they are an element of our life like our parents and siblings are. I think we all literally characterize the subjects with some good teachers we had; Maths, Language, History, Geography, Science, Civics, Drawing, Craft, Physical Training – all of these and many more in later years. A competent teacher has the enchantment – he/she can make the class fall in love with a subject. What students take away from a school/college usually centers on teachers who can instill passion and inspiration for the subjects! It’s difficult to measure success, and in the world of academia, educators are magicians who continually find new methods, new techniques, of re-evaluating how to quantify learning.

Teaching as a process is so interwoven and complex, that it is difficult to be explained.  It has three important sources. First and foremost, each subject taught is as large and complex as life, therefore the familiarity of the subject is always flawed and partial. No matter how a teacher devotes himself/herself to reading and research, teaching requires a command of content that always evades some student’s grasp. Second, the students themselves are larger than life and even more complex. To understand them, their capacity as learners and their queries and respond to them wisely in the moment, requires a fusion of Einstein, Freud and Edison! A teacher achieves this with lots of hard work. Let’s not undermine their commitment and their craft; like we mature as students they also mature as teachers. They need time. It takes few years for them to grasp the teaching-learning process and techniques.

Third, if students and subjects account for all the complexities of teaching, the teachers have to literally be on their toes to keep up with the class which often consists of some bright, extraordinary, some average and some laggards. Isn’t it challenging for a teacher to keep pace with variety of students? Some are mischievous, some are feeble, some are fighters, and some are sensitive – the teacher knows it all. He/she learns enough techniques to stay ahead of the student psyche. But there is another reason for these complexities – friends they teach us the way they are. After all, they are not robots, they are human like us. Like all of us even they have their whims and fancies.

Teaching is a truly human activity. Everybody cannot teach; it emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse. In my opinion a teacher projects his/her inner personality, their soul onto their students. In their interaction with the class which is usually very short in schools (a class is conducted for 30-45 minutes) they mold the young and supple hearts. They try to correct the thinking of the children, their character, their spirit and their disposition as citizen of a nation. The teachers give the world entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and chartered accountants, CEOs, Prime Ministers and Presidents! They grow with their students.

Successful teachers have clear objectives. They have a sense of purpose; they see a big picture because they have a full class before them. Every child is unique, the teacher looks at the topic from every child’s point of view. A teacher who doesn’t listen to students fails and one who always listens to students will ultimately fail. It is no simple endeavor to know when to listen and when not to listen. Unconstructive energy zaps creativity and it makes a nice breeding ground for fear of failure. Good teachers have an upbeat mood, a sense of vitality and energy; they see past passing setbacks to the end goal. Positivity breeds creativity. Remember, they always want their students to succeed.

Humor and wit enlightens the class; it reduces stress and frustration, and gives students a chance to look at their circumstances from another point of view. All of us remember humorous teachers don’t we?

In order to avoid becoming the stuck and stubborn teacher, good educators take time to reflect on their methods, their delivery, and the way they connect with their students. Reflection is necessary to resolve some awkward issues in class rooms. Good teachers always give emotional support to their students. They understand that learning does not happen in a vacuum. Depression, anxiety, and mental stress have a severe impact on the educational process. A good teacher takes the whole person into account. When a child is suffering trauma in his life, the teacher reaches out with all might. And that’s a true teacher.

Friends, teacher’s job are not an easy job.  Most often their roles are undermined by cruel world. Their vacations, their pay scales are always discussed without understanding their responsibility –all of these ignorant and annoying comments just go to show that people who aren’t in education simply can’t understand all of the work that goes into being a classroom teacher. Teaching is simultaneously instilling in a child the belief that he can accomplish anything he wants while reprimanding him for producing shoddy work.

I can’t resist giving example of an ever beautifully made movie on teachers “To Sir with Love” in 1967 which stars Sidney Poitier as Mark Thackeray, an engineer who takes a temporary teaching job. The kids are rough, arrogant and uninterested in school, and ignorant to the possibility that they could become more than they are. The gentlemanly Mr. Thackeray, called “Sir” by his students, is as much a culture shock to them as they are to him.

To Sir, with Love is like a time capsule of the late 1960s: Sentimental optimism contrasts with the grittiness of poverty, illiteracy, teenage rebellion, and rapid social change. There is a sense that Mr. Thackeray’s class is staggering wildly toward dead-end or delinquent adulthood, and he has a few short weeks to reach at least some of his students before they are lost. His greatest asset as a teacher, though, has nothing to do with cutting-edge curriculum or teaching “best practices.”

It is culture. “Sir” is a living example of another world which his students could choose to enter, if only they could see themselves in it. Through him they experience, for the first time, what it is to have dignity. As the teenagers begin to awaken to their own self-worth, they start to grasp why people have manners, respect others, and behave in ways that draw respect in turn. They take interest in the written word and the process of intellectual inquiry. This movie shows how education is more than transmission of facts; it’s an invitation to explore the world of the soul, of human creative capacity, and of the physical universe. It shows when the right adult (teacher) comes in a misguided teenager’s life at the right time how things fall in the right place.  Please do watch this movie to understand a teacher.

Today I salute my all teachers from the core of my heart; for they made me what I am today. I am indebted to all of them. They truly have transformed my life.

]]> https://drvidyahattangadi.com/a-big-salute-all-our-teachers/feed/ 0 https://drvidyahattangadi.com/how-management-is-both-art-and-science/ https://drvidyahattangadi.com/how-management-is-both-art-and-science/#respond Mon, 15 Apr 2019 00:01:09 +0000 http://drvidyahattangadi.com/?p=5584

Much of the controversy of management being art or science is based on description of the fact that the earlier leaders of industry used intuition, hunches, commonsense, and experience in managing organizations. They were not well educated, they were not trained professional managers, but they managed their businesses brilliantly. However, commonsense and science differ considerably in solving the problems. Examples are Dhirubhai Ambani, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata and G.D.Birla…the list is big. In 1919, Ghanshyamdas Birla was in no better position. He had fought hard with his family and the colonial establishment to start a jute mill. World War I broke out before he could place orders for his machinery. He had based his projections on Rs 6,000 per loom. The price shot up to Rs 16,000. He went ahead.

In 1950, aged 17, Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani sailed in a steerage class of ship to Aden to search for a job. For the next eight years, he sweated it out. Later in his life, without a single educational degree he created an empire called Reliance Industries.

Management is Science because of several reasons like – it has universally accepted principles, it has cause and effect relationship etc, and at the same time it is art because it requires perfection through practice, practical knowledge, creativity, personal skills etc. Management is both an art and a science.

Artistic application of management know-how is a must for solving complex situations in organizations. It is understood that managing is doing things artistically in the light of the realities of a situation. Human skills cannot stand alone; they need to be aligned with conceptual skills and technical skills. Therefore, theoretical knowledge of management is not adequate or relevant for solving the problems. A manager gains experience by continual application of management knowledge and facing new experiences. By solving many problems, a manager develops more skills and abilities for translating knowledge into practice.

Application calls for innovativeness and creativity; Larry Page of Google is one such example of a businessperson who can endure a challenge, while also face criticism. Larry and his business have faced much criticism and received ample praise over the years for his company’s actions. But whenever he was caught in the midst of the storm, he has never let what others think influence him from pursuing the course for his company that he considers the best. The art of management is in knowing how to accomplish the desired results.

Art may be defined as personalized application of general theoretical principles for achieving best possible results. Apple Inc’s Tim Cook is often compared to Steve Jobs. It is difficult to follow Steve Jobs, but, Tim Cook is doing a tremendous job. Rather than attempt to match the consumer-facing innovations Steve Jobs had been known for, Tim Cook is forging into the future with his own new advances, such as Apple’s newest original inventory management techniques.

Traditionally, creativity was linked with people in artistic professions such as writers, painters or musicians. But, in today’s competitive business world, the need for creativity has transitioned into the business world. It has become increasingly important for organizations to rely on creative thinking, in an effort to distinguish themselves from competitors. Jeff Bezos of Amazon prefers focus on the customer. It is famous that in every meeting he leaves an empty seat for a customer to represent them. He considers the customer to be the most important person in the room, even if there is no customer present physically in the room. Bezos has made the customer a key component of his business strategies, customers find him very inspiring. He always portrays through his strategies that at the centre of his business are his customers. Amazon grew in leaps because of cultivated customer value.

Most science and engineering students are good at managing businesses because they are good at analysis and solve problem in the real word specifically based on their subject. Businesses need engineering managers to oversee projects, product design and development, operations; create strategic plans; handle budgets, costs, and financing; and interface with marketing.

Frederick Winslow Taylor was one of the first management thinkers. Taylor is known for his thinking of scientific management. He advised to scientifically select, train, and develop each worker rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. Taylor concentrated more on productivity and wages to be paid based on productivity. He stressed on time and motion study and other techniques for measuring work. Apart from this, in Taylor’s work, there also runs a strongly humanistic theme. He felt ideally that the interests of workers, managers and owners should be synchronized.

Henri Fayol was a French coal-mine engineer, director of mines and modern management theoretician. His scientific management theory was formed on the bases of business administration and business management. He introduced the fourteen principles of management. In the academic world, this is also known as Fayolism.

Management science theory is based on the thought that a contemporary approach to management that focuses on the use of rigorous quantitative techniques which help managers make maximum use of organizational resources to produce goods and services. It is also known as the mathematical or quantitative approach. In quintessence, this theory is a contemporary extension of scientific management, which, as developed by Taylor, also looks at quantitative approach to measuring the employee and his task in order to raise efficiency. The art to get maximum productivity is to use permutations and combinations as per employee’s strength, desire to work, desire to learn and the motivation techniques used by the management.

Good translators vacillate over the subject of loyalty to maintain the originality of the text. A translator should be receptive to the originality of the text and should avoid temptation adding or subtracting matter from the original text. A good translator tries to reproduce the text as exactly as possible to the maximum extent. He/she multitasks while translating: grasps the intended meaning of the source language, weigh and reflect over word choice for the target language, match the formatting of the source language, search and use the best terminology for the subject matter, finally measure cultural disparities in case it impacts phrasing or grammar and ensure by and large lucidity and accuracy of finished translation.

Translation is as much an art as a science: Though the computer these days does the job of translation, one cannot depend on the machine for effective completion of the job. It’s not possible to trust the process in terms of grammatical and cultural nuances. Human translation is still very much a necessity and should certainly be the preference for translating a good work. There are chances of even the human blundering few segments of the original work— but that’s why any reputable translation agency should have a thorough quality assurance process in place. The machines will never possess understanding and insight like a human mind.

Each language has its distinguishable exercising power: who else but the authors and poets can fraternise a language with command and conformity. The genuine, inner power of language is rarely used. It has been observed that even the most skilful speaker or an author cannot monopolise the power of language because power of language lies not with the speaker, but with language itself. Whoever has a command of language has part in its power. The power of a language cannot be restricted and repressed.

Each language has some exclusivity: some word that captures a concept or emotional state in a certain way. It therefore becomes difficult for a translator to capture the wideness of expression. The range of concepts and emotional state is the only indication of a language’s meticulousness. It is difficult to find a comparable dialect from one to another language. The expressions change while translating a text from one to another language. However sincerely one tries to interpret thoughts from one language into another, the possibility of the variation of meaning of certain words and expressions cannot be avoided. Here’s why the translator’s presumption to understand the author’s intentions, and re-imagine them in his/her own language is a delicate job.

Languages in demand: The demand for languages such as French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish are always very high but other languages showing a steady increase in demand are Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Indian languages such as Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, in addition Korean and a number of languages from Mexico and Central America such as Mixtec, Zapotec, and Mayan.

What are the educational qualifications required for a translators? A bachelor’s degree is typically needed to become an interpreter or translator along with proficiency in at least two languages, one of which is usually English. Although majoring in a language is not really necessary. However, knowledge of a specific area such as pharma, history, botany, geology etc can be helpful skill for success in the career of translator. Besides it, listening, writing, cultural Intelligence, observation, computer knowledge and the biggest of all time management are some other required skills.

Some famous translated reserves: Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece book Alchemist which is written originally in Portuguese is translated in several languages all over world. It combines magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Jo Nesbo’s The Bat is a Norwegian story a crime thriller which is translated in many languages.

The girl with the dragon tattoo written by Stieg Larsson in Swedish language is the Millennium series which became craze of this generation’s international bestselling phenomenon. It’s a thriller story.

My brilliant friend by Elena Ferrante is written in Italian language which is considered a modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors. It is rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship.

Some of the most popular Indian books translated in foreign languages are:  Thirukkural also called as Kural is a Tamil sangam literature that consists of 1330 couplets those talk about everyday virtues of an individual. This book is one of the most important works in the history of Tamil language. It is one of the widely translated non-religious books in the world. It has been translated by more than 90 different translators including European and Asian. You can find this book in 40 different languages. Attributed to Thiruvalluvar, the Kural occupies an important place in the literature world.

Isha Upanishad is originally written in Sanskrit and is one of the shortest Upanishads. This Ivsavasya Upanishad proclaims the philosophy of non-dualism in which they declare God to be the sole inhabitant of everything that exists in this world. It is a primary Upanishad and is known into two recensions (revised edition) called as Kanva and Madhyandina. It has over 18 verses depending upon the recension. It is been translated into 64 languages.

Bhagvad Gita which is a universally acknowledged worlds literary works and is one of the spiritual masterpieces that is been translated into many languages. This has been treasured by American writers from Emerson and Thoreau to T.S. Eliot. With more than 200 translations in English itself, this is one the most translated Indian book. With more than 80 language translations, this book has reached a large mass audience.

Beyond birth and death originally written by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, this novel discusses whether there is life after death or not. Prabhupada narrates how soul travels from one body to another and by chanting the name of Sri Krishna one gets help reaching Lord Sri Krishna’s ultimate abode. Chanting will help reveal what God is, what one is, how are we conditioned and how can we step out of that conditioning. It is been translated into 51 different languages.

Contrastingly, somebody who has materially very little, might raise an excellent human being if all else falls into place. Time and again teaching values, correcting your child with his/her behavior, most importantly how you behave in difficult times will usually result in your children having the same values. Let’s not forget that our children are not tailor-made; beyond everything else, they come to us with inborn qualities that we cannot exclusively order, request, or even refuse to accept as detrimental. What best we can do is, with lots of love and attention and words of wisdom make our children understand what is right and what is wrong.

One thing those who aren’t parents fail to understand about being a parent is: the deep, touching and incredible love that changes you forever when your child is born! The tiny creature makes you a parent. You are born as mother/father and that makes it a complex, overwhelming, yet fantastic experience.

Does reading books on parenting help

Can reading some books on parenting help you become a better parent? Can you copy someone else’s (successful) strategy for bringing up your children? Do often visits to counselors help you become better parent? Nope, the idea of seeking parenting advice from others and not listening to your heart is futile. Parenting is a reality and not an imagination. Any parent will tell you that it is very different than they thought it would be. Every child throws variety of challenges at its parents; and each challenge are different. Every experience is different. Children go through distinct periods of development as they move from infants to young adults and from young adults to adults. During each of these stages multiple changes in the development of the brain and body take place.  What occurs and approximately when these developments take place are genetically determined. However, environmental circumstances and the child’s experience with key individuals within that environment have significant influence on how each child benefits from each developmental event. So, there are no hard and fast rules and regulations that one can follow.

There is no doubt that for most families, the teen years present a challenge for both parents and children. During adolescence, kids need their parents more than ever. Research shows that a positive family environment including fun and frolic, creative family activities, open parent-child communication and the encouragement to participate in positive extracurricular and community activities help teens ably to navigate these years with relative ease.

What exactly is parenting? An art or science

I think parenting is both an art as well as science. I call it an art because it depends a lot on a parent’s creative response to the each challenge. The challenge of disciplining, the challenge of bonding which fits the child’s personality, the challenge of making your children eat proper food, challenge of educating your child on sexual matter, keeping an eye on child’s friends, the right values so on and forth. I think parenting is an art because it is finding new ways of weaving values into your child’s life.

Parenting is also science because your child and you are biological entities. And the biology is ruled mostly by black and white writing. It involves psychology, sociology, anthropology, nutrition, genetics etc, etc and all these are science therefore parenting is science also.

But the art is what takes more effort. This requires a parent to trust on his/her instincts, to observe, to listen, to guide, to speak, to talk with changed tones, to act, and to learn from each experience. And, all these actions involve a lot of trial and error. Therefore, parenting is both science and art. There is no first thing or last thing. You cannot do everything correct the first time. You will commit mistakes, reflect upon them, share them with others, figure out reasons and solutions, search the Internet and do what you feel is best ……that’s about it.

Parenting is about knowing your child is always watching you

Your children are always watching you. So be honest. Don’t go out of your way to hide your shortcomings. We are not Gods, we are mortal human. We can fail, we can be wrong, we can err sometimes – the best thing to do is be honest about our shortcomings. Don’t ill-treat yourself.

It’s better to be upfront without going too much into details when it comes to correcting your child. Sometimes, when you see your own bad habits in your children start working together to get rid of those bad habits. It can be fun.

I want to make another very important point here, that is your child and you are two separate people. Your child’s habits and traits are his/her alone. Your child’s success, failure, temperament, illness, way of walking, manners are going to be far different than your imagination. Don’t get too attached to what other say or comment on your child. Accept your child wholeheartedly.

And last but not the least; don’t lose your sense of humor. Learn to laugh at those silly mistakes made by you, your spouse and your child. You need not always be serious about life. One of the best parts of being a parent is spending time playing with your kids and seeing them grow.  It’s a great opportunity to feel like a child, a teenager, an adult again and that is precious. Spending time with your kids enjoying their company through their each millstone is precious. Be your child’s best friend. Pass on the legacy to children of appreciating goodness in others and a love for the basics in life. Children are incredibly wise and tend to see the world more simply than we do. Sometimes they think far better than we do; perhaps it’s time we start taking their advice.

This about three decades ago, 7 out of 10 youngsters opted for Pure Science at UG and PG level. Be it chemistry, physics or biology the colleges in India had around 35 to 40 percent of students in the Science Stream. Then, most of the colleges used to have some of the best teachers who were known for their craft; they had the research aptitude and carried on lot of research in the laboratories. But today, the scene has changed drastically. As per a report of UGC, the percentage of students joining pure science courses has dropped down to below five percent, especially in states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Many colleges in are feeling helpless as they are not finding quality teachers to teach physics, chemistry and mathematics.

Pure sciences deal with the study of natural phenomena through examination and observation, experimentation and use of scientific methods. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, and Microbiology etc are some of the major streams followed in Pure Sciences.

Pure sciences are one of the most interesting and research oriented fields. It plays a vital role in innovation, new discoveries and inventions. Studying pure sciences requires inquisitiveness in the different phenomenon that occurs in nature. It requires creating theories and hypotheses about them, and finally testing and validating them through experimentation and logic. Different science subjects address different aspects of natural phenomena. For example Physics deals with the study of properties of matter and its constituents in the universe, as they relate to motions, force and energy. Chemistry concerns itself with the reactions of the constituents of matter to create new forms of matter. And Biology is the study of life forms including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, and classification.

The basic eligibility criteria for pursuing Pure Science education are to complete a 10+2 education with subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Math or Biology.  Students can then pursue a 3 years bachelor’s degree followed by a 2 years master’s degree in their chosen area or go in for a 5 year integrated M.Sc. After that students can opt for higher studies like doctoral research in India and also abroad.

Let’s understand this right: development of a country purely centers on how actively its research and development responds to changes. Pure science stream stimulates research in various areas. If we don’t wake up from our slumber, we might have to depend on countries like China for chemical formulae for developing a soaps, detergents, toothpastes and shampoos. Unlike in India, pure science is given utmost importance in all other countries like China, US, UK and Germany.

A lot of parents don’t want their children to take B.SC followed by M.SC route because it takes a lot of time to complete studies and jobs are not guaranteed. Whereas it’s a notion that an engineering graduate can get a job immediately and start earning. One needs to spend lot of years in pure science stream.

Science students who get into research are an important link in scientific application cycle. They design, plan in instrumentation and formulas which doctors and engineers use. They are therefore an important and integral part of the system. A country’s growth depends on how independent it is in terms of technology, hence it is vital to groom students for taking up higher education in pure sciences.

Indians are known for their competencies in the area of science and utilizing it well across the educational institutes the world over. But today however, Indian parents feel that the number of good colleges in the country offering pure science branch are not fit and it does not offer lucrative careers to their children. I think, Science as a subject requires more practical approach and certainly it requires training and preparing good teachers without any waste of time. If science is taught theoretically with mere lectures, it will never attract students. Another fact is that of poor conditions of laboratories in schools and colleges; if they are not well equipped and well utilized it is a tragedy. We cannot afford preparing students of science stream with bookish knowledge. And, world over the stream of science as a faculty is developing rapidly; the syllabus of schools and colleges need regular updating, we cannot teach  students the subject  backdated. It requires regular modernization and reorientation. Basically, I think we are treating the science seam shabbily and hence its numbers are dropping.

Strong analytical and conceptual skills are essential to excel in any pure sciences field. In addition curiosity to investigate a chosen area and a passion to go deep into it is a must. Generally students are confused regarding the fields of study and career opportunities in pure sciences. Guidance by expert counselors can help in such a situation.

Also, we need to bridge the gap between learning science and employment opportunities. There must be a major push towards interdisciplinary programs in basic sciences. Diversification of avenues and new choices will encourage students to take courses according to their aptitude. Emerging fields that act as a link between technology and science such as bioinstrumentation, allied health sciences, forensic science and medical imaging techniques offer a lot of scope.

Practically, in the science research one more vital fact is that many scientists have interesting findings and technology, but they are not aware about its relevance to the business world. Isn’t this a sheer waste of talent? The reason why many findings in science is not often exploitable is because the industry quite often does not provide any feedback to the scientists. We therefore need to bridge the gap between scientists and industry. Scientists cannot work in vacuum.

Are we risk-averse? Yes, in the area of research, we need to take some risks. Even business firms need to take some calculated risks while launching new products and services in the market. The business strategy followed by the Indian biotech research firms is largely service-centric. They prefer working on outsourced model which requires less investment this is because Indian biotech companies cannot afford huge investments.

We need good administrators in the science labs. Sadly, front office people are not aware what is being researched in their laboratories. Most research is not even data based it is therefore difficult to know what is happening in Kolkata from Mumbai. Our scientists get penalized for making mistakes but not rewarded for taking risks. The industry and research institutes need a friendly dialogue. Scientists require a good work culture. Most of our scientists are motivated within rather than motivated by incentives, this is a good thing. If we don’t encourage them and maintain their dignity we might lose out of whatever talent is left in the country. We have to drop the reservation system in scientific research area; promote the right candidate for his worth, not what caste creed he belongs to. Most of the scientists are frustrated because they are under appreciated.

In India, very few scientists have industry experience. India is missing the business environment where entrepreneurs scout for ideas from research labs. We are very happy importing scientific technology. I think Venture Capitalists can play a great role; they need to encourage small, mini, and micro labs with the requisite funds. Venture capital can play a pivotal role in flourishing research field in this country.

About five years ago, the government of India set up five Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) at Bhopal, Kolkata, Mohali, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram with a specific agenda: to attract scientific talent from among the youth and to nurture them to become world-class researchers in science. The integrated five-year bachelor’s and master’s program at these institutions, along with the PhD program, is designed to guide students along the research path right from the beginning of their undergraduate education.

But it is facing two major challenges; first, knowing how to select students with the potential to make important contributions to the growth of science. And, the second, implementing the kind of education that will develop and strengthen such potential, so that a significant division of those students will help picking the genuine scientific researchers. Hope the initial teething problems get sorted out fast and appropriate beginning is made.